To Channing Pollock [Letter 58]

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June 14, 1941

Mr. Channing Pollock
Shoreham, Long Island
New York

Dear Mr. Pollock:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for “The Adventures of a Happy Man”—and for your inscription.[*] I have been trying for years to become hard-boiled and to let nothing affect me too much. But this did. I read your inscription and I feel encouraged for the rest of my life—the kind of encouragement that only a creative person needs or understands.

Thank you for writing about me to De Witt Wallace. I appreciate it immensely, and I would be most anxious to do that article, should he be interested.

I was delighted to learn that you had written to Little, Brown about “Life’s Too Short”. If I helped in any way to reawaken your interest and make you finish that book—I am most selfishly flattered.

I have met DeWitt Emery and have seen him three times while he was here. I don’t know whether this was due to his enthusiasm for our cause or to his being impressed by me—and I am vain enough to hope it was both. I really did not find him hard or tough at all—he was very charming and very sincerely interested in our cause. He promised definitely that he is with us, and will do everything he can. He did say that he cannot give it his full time until after the passage of the Labor Bill on which he is working, but that would not be necessary, I think, until our organization actually gets going. He pointed out very emphatically that we should have financial backing first of all—and he will help us to get in touch with the right people. He will try to arrange for me to see Helen Frick (who, he said, has something like $500,000,000), also Mr. Gall[**] of the National Association of Manufacturers, and a few other people. I hope that we shall be able to arouse the interest of one of them. Mr. Emery promised also to send us a list of more names to add to our Committee.

I gave him the two documents I wrote—the short “Declaration” and the long “Manifesto.” He was most highly complimentary about them. He thought that the “Individualist Manifesto” would be very helpful to us if I arranged to have it published as an article in some national magazine. I

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do not believe that it is in the proper form for an article, but he suggested that I send it to an editor just as it is, inquire whether the magazine would be interested and then do such re-writing as the editor might find necessary. He suggested that I consult you on this and ask your opinion as to whether such a procedure would be advisable. He pointed out that he has often helped his National Small Business Men’s Association by placing magazine articles on subjects pertaining to its activity. If you find this advisable, I shall, of course, be most eager to do so.

I think that Mr. Emery will really be able to help us get started—and I look forward hopefully to our future activity.

With best regards,

Sincerely,

*Pollock inscribed his book The Adventures of a Happy Man, “To Ayn Rand—the best mind and most inspiring personality I have encountered in many years.”
**John C. Gall was later AR’s attorney.